Five keys to buying the right driver for your game

Now is perhaps the best time of the year to buy a driver.

In colder climates where the winter season is playing through, prices on drivers will drop, creating increased value for the consumer. Meanwhile, the prime golf season is on the horizon for those living in warm climates.

In any case, buying a driver isn’t a simple task if you’re committed to fitting your unique swing. Some golfers purchase the newest model of a particular brand every year, while others simply look for the best bargain. Others will buy based on the recommendations of a friend.

None of these purchasing avenues are bad necessarily, but several factors need to be considered when purchasing a driver to obtain the optimal performance gains.

It’s important to note that drivers are heavily regulated by the USGA and R&A. The clubhead size can not exceed 460cc, and every manufacturer has a different method of utilizing all 460cc. Additionally, there are limits to CT and COR to ensure the clubfaces aren’t too springy at impact and the maximum driver length allowed is 48 inches.

Because of these rules, several other variables need to be considered when purchasing a driver.

After some discussion with 2nd Swing master fitters, I’ve come up with five keys to buying a driver:

1. Identify your goal(s)

This is the easy part. What do you want from your tee shots that you aren’t getting with your current driver? For many golfers, the answer is simply more distance. For others, however, it’s a little more complicated than that. Perhaps your natural ball flight is too low, or maybe you struggle missing to the left.

At any rate, the first step is identifying your goals off the tee. Through this process, you will eliminate several options before dissecting the brand, model, or any of the specs.

2. Choose the clubhead that fits your needs

Over the last several years, manufacturers have started releasing multiple variations of each new driver model that are designed to help golfers combat specific tendencies.

The most popular variation, aside from the standard model, is the low-spin clubhead, which features a center of gravity that is placed slightly forward and higher to promote a lower ball flight and lower spin, which will help golfers who struggle with high spin.

Meanwhile, several manufacturers also release draw-biased clubheads in their new driver lineups. These clubheads will help golfers struggling with a slice or a block square the clubface more easily at impact and reduce that left-to-right (or right-to-left for a left-hander) shot shape.

Golfers with slower swing speeds are also being given more options than ever before, as manufacturers continue to release lighter models that promote increased clubhead speed.

In general, the ‘standard’ driver models (those without a draw bias or a low-spin emphasis) are balanced designs that won’t necessarily combat a specific tendency, but rather focus on delivering distance and forgiveness.

Last, but certainly not least, is the confidence factor. With so many brands to choose from, it can become overwhelming for some to select one driver. For many golfers, a certain brand presents more confidence at address. For others, it’s about the appearance or feel.

Golfers in the market for a new driver should first and foremost find the clubhead that they are most confident will improve performance off the tee and help achieve their goals.

3. Identify the correct loft

Up to this point, we’ve focused mainly on correcting bad tendencies and maintaining control off the tee. Now, it’s time to increase that distance by figuring out the correct loft for your driver.

The easiest way to identify which loft is right for your swing is to hit some shots with all of your clubs using launch monitor technology and specifically look for the peak height.

Most golfers should maintain roughly the same peak height throughout the bag, from a 60-degree wedge all the way up to a driver. In many cases, the driver stands alone compared to the other clubs in the bag. This is where distance is lost for many.

If your current driver is launching the ball higher than your other clubs, a decrease in loft from your old driver might be worth a try. Meanwhile, if your driver is flying lower than your other clubs, an increase in loft could provide optimal distance.

4. Pair the clubhead with the correct shaft

While the clubheads get most of the attention these days, the shaft is still an important part of the recipe and the wrong shaft can negate the benefits of the correct clubhead.

Identifying the correct driver shaft essentially comes down to a couple of key areas: flex, weight, and length.

While it’s not an exact science, golfers can often get a good idea of the shaft flex and weight they should be playing by answering one question: What club do you hit from 150 yards?

This answer provides a good estimate of the clubhead speed a golfer generates, and speed is a factor in choosing shaft flex and weight. In many cases, the more speed a player generates, the stiffer and heavier they need to go in terms of the shaft flex.

But there are exceptions to that rule and other factors to consider as well, most notably the length of your swing and how you transition from backswing to downswing.

Typically, players with shorter swings and those who have aggressive transitions will benefit from stiffer shafts, as well as heavier shafts, while those with longer swings and smoother transitions can get away with using more flexible shafts and going lighter in weight if they prefer that feel.

Also a critical part of buying a driver is shaft length. Over the past few years, the stock length offered by manufacturers has increased to provide more potential distance for golfers. However, a longer shaft can make it more difficult to find the center of the clubface consistently, which will result in a loss of ball speed and accuracy.

One misconception for many golfers about shaft length is that it’s all about height. While most 6-foot-5 golfers will almost certainly play a different length than a 5-foot-5 golfer, it’s important to note that any adjustments necessary from the standard length will be due to how often you find the center of the clubface and where your common misses are.

Additionally, a good indication that the shaft length should be increased is if the common miss is contact toward the heel, while golfers who commonly make contact toward the toe may want to get a driver shaft that’s shorter than standard.

5. Utilize adjustable settings to your advantage

It’s no secret that nearly every driver released in the past five years offers some sort of adjustability, whether it’s in the form of an adjustable hosel, movable weights, or both. It’s likely that your new driver will offer these options as well, and it’s important to take advantage of the benefits.

The most important spec to look at is the lie angle. Adjusting the lie angle is an easy way to modify your ball flight and get rid of an unwanted tendency.

Creating a more upright lie angle will work to eliminate a slice, while a flatter lie angle will work to eliminate a hook.

Of course, adjustable drivers also make it possible for golfers to change loft, but it’s important to understand that when adjusting loft on a driver that the lie angle might change depending on the brand of the driver and the loft sleeve being used, and that the face angle will definitely change.

More specifically, decreasing loft will open the clubface, while increasing loft will close the clubface. And both of those actions will influence the spin rate and where the ball starts, which is further evidence that picking the loft that gets your trajectory in the right window to start with is imperative.

Additionally, drivers with movable weights in the sole enable golfers to adjust the center of gravity. Generally, more weighting placed in the back of the sole will create higher launch and higher spin, while weight moved toward the front of the sole and closer to the clubface will create lower launch and lower spin.

While it’s a lot to unpack, we want to make sure golfers everywhere are achieving maximum performance off the tee. It’s important to check every box to make sure the driver in your bag is the right one for your swing.

For more advice on buying your new clubs, stop into a 2nd Swing store or call (612) 216-4152 to speak with our fitting and support team.